"People are crucifying me with emotions, not law" -Yieleh Chireh
Embattled Health Minister, Joseph Yieleh Chireh, has expressed worry at calls for his dismissal over the failure of his Ministry to resolve impasse between the Ghana Medical Association and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission on time.
According to Mr. Yieleh Chireh, though those calling for his dismissal are entitled to their opinions, whether political or not, he is worried that the call has been mainly based on emotion and not law.
Speaking on Dea Me Hunu, a political talk show on Adom FM Wednesday, he stressed that no one can blame him or anyone for his ministry’s failure to resolve the problem. “Blame who? Ahh! You cannot resolve a matter if you begin to point accusing fingers at people,” he said.
He expressed shock at the politically-biased views expressed over the negotiation of salaries with the doctors, stating that the Health Ministry was following lawful procedures, which was to allow the state institutions responsible to handle the matter without any form of political interference.
The Health Minister insisted that his ministry had followed the negotiations from the very beginning and had treated the matter with the urgency it deserved, which he said had prompted them to hold a meeting with the doctors at Dodowa when they initially threatened to go on strike.
“You people were all in Ghana when President Barack Obama called for strong institutions and not strong men. But if we allow the institutions to work, then they say some should be sacked. How?” he questioned.
He said the president’s appeal to the GMA was on the basis of law and not a vote of no confidence in the ministry because the law has to be applied and the state institutions have to be allowed to do their work.
Mr. Yieleh Chireh described media publication on the negotiations as judgmental and ignorant, adding that most commentators lacked the evidence to support the allegations and the conclusions they had drawn.
He commended the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission for successfully migrating more than 80% of public sector workers onto the Single Spine Salary Structure.
Asked why he took the 10-day leave in the middle of the impasse to visit his constituency, the minister expressed his frustration at the issue saying that he was a Member of Parliament long before he became minister and sees nothing wrong with it.
“I can’t believe it, how can anyone say I cannot visit my constituency? I can go round and greet people, I don’t need their permission. I don’t want to say anything about this, its sheer politics and it’s sad we are doing this.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
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